To Chase a Shadow
by Reine de la Mort
Summary: When someone begins targetting his friends with a series of gruesome assaults, it's up to Taro Yamada, with the help of one Ayano Aishi, to figure out who's behind it all, and bring them to justice.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: No, I am not Yandere Dev, just another one of his many fans. And therefore, I don't own Yandere Simulator, or whatever it ends up being titled in the future.**

 **Author's Notes: Just a fun little side project for me to chew on, when I'm burnt out from doing research and planning for _Tales_. I'll work on this when I'll work on it.**

 **Fun fact on dates: As of this writing, the current debug build of YanSim is set in April of 2018. The year and dates on the calendar in the debug builds have been updated regularly, over the past few years, so in all likelihood, when the full game is released, it'll be set in April of 2019 or later. But, since I have no crystal ball or magic genie to tell me which year YanSim will be set in when it's released, I'm just going to set this fanfic in 2018.**

 **Also, since I'm working with information from debug builds and the current YanSim website, which obviously is not the final version of details, I will be getting my facts about the characters wrong. If I can fix my mistakes as they come up, great. If not, then _c'est la vie_.**

 **First uploaded: 2017/05/19  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 _Week 4 - 2018, April 24th, Tuesday_

* * *

"Yamada-senpai? "

Taro looked up automatically at being addressed, the sudden greeting taking him by surprise. The girl who'd approached him was standing directly in front of him, not more than a metre away. Had he truly been so engrossed with reading that he'd lost all sense of his surroundings?

"Yes, can I help you?" he said, internally trying to recall the girl's name. She definitely wasn't in his year, but that was as far as he knew. Her appearance was remarkably ordinary, compared to many of the other students of Akademi High; the only halfway-memorable accessory of hers, was the bulky Saikou camera dangling in front of her abdomen, from a strap around her neck. Otherwise, her hair wasn't dyed or styled oddly, she had no makeup, glasses, or contact lenses on, her uniform didn't seem to be modified in any way, and even her stockings were a plain black that matched her hair and eyes.

Taro suppressed an awkward cough as he realised his gaze had been wandering, and jerked it back up to her face. The girl had a small, knowing smile on her lips, as though she knew of his internal dilemma and was amused by it.

"I'm Ayano Aishi, a junior member of the Photography Club, and I have some... suspicions regarding recent events that may concern you," she said, her smile fading at the mention of the past few weeks. Taro felt his own expression freeze.

"You... you do? How does it concern me?" he asked. Did she think _he_ was the culprit? But... but surely if she'd thought he'd done it, she wouldn't have confronted him directly, alone, would she? Although they weren't _exactly_ alone, out here in the school's courtyard, right in front of the fountain. In recent days, most of the school's population had taken to leaving school as early as was allowed, and the few students who remained in the school after classes, whether by choice or necessity, now preferred to congregate in the courtyard.

"Yes," Aishi-san said, though she didn't look threatening or accusatory at him in particular. Instead, she looked away, scanning their surroundings briefly. "But I won't elaborate here. Could we go somewhere more private?"

He took a moment to debate the pros and cons of her request. For all he knew, Aishi-san could've been asking to lure him into some sort of trap. Even her introduction hadn't rung any bells for him.

Taro's jaw clenched as he arrested his train of thought. A mere three weeks ago, he would've thought nothing of a fellow student approaching him, readily introducing themselves, and politely asking for a private setting to give him important information. On the other hand, a mere three weeks ago, students hadn't been mysteriously disappearing or suffering injuries that they couldn't remember receiving, or _dying_ from inexplicable accidents. Nonetheless, Aishi-san seemed trustworthy enough, so he nodded at her and tucked his bookmark into his paperback, standing up to join her.

Her strides were even and confident as she led him wordlessly from the courtyard, into one of the many disused utility closets around the school, shutting the door behind him and flicking on the switch for the fluorescent light. Taro looked around the closet, blinking as the single bulb hummed to life.

Akademi's utility closets were fairly large, and this one was no exception, its walls being lined with brown metal shelves, stocked with a variety of cardboard boxes. The scent of detergent and other chemicals was strong in the air, but otherwise, the most noteworthy pieces of furniture in the closet was the single desk and chair that had been shoved into the closet, along with a large corkboard hanging on the shelf directly across from the desk. The board was covered with both photos and pieces of paper of various sizes, most with handwritten notes on them.

He was prevented from examining the board further by Aishi-san, who moved to the desk and simply spread her hands across its surface, staring down at them, as though considering what to say. The silence grew slightly awkward as Taro realised how strange it would look if the two of them were caught together in a closet like this.

"Aishi-san?" he finally asked, hoping to prompt her to speak. "What's the meaning of all this?"

She looked back up at him, and now the first sign of uncertainty she had shown since approaching him, flitted across her face. It was gone with a quick exhale, however, and she shook her head.

"Right, sorry. I know it's weird, all this stuff in here," she said, waving her hand at the corkboard. "But... anyway, do you know about what's been happening lately?"

What a silly question, how could anyone _not_ have known of the past few weeks, what with everyone talking about it? Taro nodded mutely, his expression flat. She laughed, a short, self-deprecating chuckle.

"Yeah, well, the Photography Club's been talking about it ever since it all started, and the other members decided to start asking around, trying to figure out who's behind it. I wanted to keep my own investigation apart from theirs, so... here I am," Aishi-san said, now turning away from him to stare at what were most likely her notes on the board. Looking at it closer now, he could identify the various subjects of the photos, from various students, including Osana, Amai, Kizana, and himself, to several scenes of... the aftermath of the incidents. Taro felt his stomach lurch as he involuntarily shut his eyes.

"... Why wouldn't you want to work with your club? And how does all this involve me?" he asked again, looking back to Aishi-san. The questions were almost painfully obvious, even to him. She remained silent for another moment, and he'd almost opened his mouth to speak again, when she resettled her gaze on him. His voice died in his throat at the grim, determined set of her eyes and mouth, all traces of mirth or sarcasm gone.

"Because I was afraid that the culprit might be someone in this school, Yamada-senpai, and so far, the only connection between all of the victims, that I can identify with any certainty… is you," she said, and her words seemed to ring like a death knell in his ears.

"I-it's n-not me..." he managed to say around the sudden dead-weight his tongue had become. Here it finally was, the accusation that he had _known_ was inevitable, drawn from the natural observation that anyone would've made, and his only defense was a weak, stuttered denial.

"Oh," Aishi-san said, her eyes widening in surprise, "no, Yamada-senpai, I don't think _you're_ the one behind all these incidents." She raised her hands, as if reaching out to soothe him, but she stopped the movement just shy of actually touching him, and wrapped her hands around their opposite elbows instead. "All your movements and whereabouts during the times of the incidents have been accounted for, and whoever it was, they carried out their assaults while you were nowhere near the crime scene."

Taro could've collapsed with relief at her assurance that she didn't think he was responsible for what had happened. As it was, the only thing that kept him standing and grounded was Aishi-san herself, as she continued speaking.

"I can't be sure whether your proximity to the scenes were a coincidence or not, though I think it's just a side-effect of the perpetrator making sure there were no witnesses around," she said, now furrowing her brow at the board in contemplation.

"If you don't think I did it... why am I here, then?" he asked, regaining his voice. She blinked at him.

"Because you're the only connection between the victims, as far as I can tell, Yamada-senpai," she said again, like it was obvious. "So far, all of them have been female, but they didn't know each other personally, none of them were in the same club, or in a club, in Najimi-senpai's case, and the only person that they knew in common was you."

Hesitantly, Taro swallowed past the sudden lump that had developed in his throat. He couldn't decide if having his own suspicions confirmed as true was a relief, or if it simply made things worse. "So, whoever's doing this..."

"May be targetting you next," Aishi-san said, completing his thought, and then she grimaced. "Alternatively, they may _not_ be trying to get you at all, or at least, not directly." Taro sucked in a sudden breath.

"How?" he said, grabbing at the slim hope that he wouldn't be the next victim, like a lifeline. For the third time, Aishi-san fell silent. "Please, I need to know!" In response, she only closed her eyes, as he had earlier, and then sighed regretfully.

"From what I could gather, Najimi-senpai, Odayaka-senpai, and Sunobu-senpai are or were either very close to you, or developing... feelings, for you," she said, finally looking at him again. "So... the goal of these attacks may have been to hurt those closest to you."

If he'd felt like she'd punched him in the gut earlier, Taro now felt like he was being bludgeoned with a bat. He took a step back and hit the shelf behind him, grabbing at it for support. That his friends had been hurt, had been _killed_ because of him... "Why?" he could only whisper, staring desperately at her.

She pursed her lips. "That's what I wanted to ask you, Yamada-senpai. Can you think of anyone who might bear you a grudge, or anything you might have done to cross someone?" she said, her voice low and soothing. It was the stability he needed to regain his bearings.

"No," he said, the answer coming easily to him. "I don't know... I'm just an average guy. I'm not looking to cause anyone any kind of trouble or anything, all I want to do is graduate with good grades! Why would anyone want to do something like this?" What could he possibly have done, to make someone angry enough at him to _kill_? He gripped the shelf even harder, his breaths now coming in shallow pants in his panic.

"Please, Yamada-senpai, calm down," he faintly registered Aishi-san saying. She held her hands out towards him again, palms down in a placating gesture. "You're not in danger here, I can assure you of that." No, he certainly wasn't in any danger, but his _friends_ , what few of them he'd managed to make in passing, _were_. Taro could only shake his head helplessly, unable to bring himself to speak. Thankfully, Aishi-san got the message, and backed off quietly, allowing him the time to gather himself.

When he did, it was with a horrified realisation. His breath hitched in terror as he looked at her, not in fear of her, but _for_ her. It was her turn to step back in confusion. "Ah...?"

"If-if we were seen walking together, Aishi-san... you could be next! I need to get out of here! You can't be seen with me!" he said, barely managing to keep his voice from rising into a shout. She wasn't safe, just being around him made her a target-!

"Yamada-senpai!" she said firmly, her tone slicing through his panic. "You need to _calm down_. Not everyone you've ever interacted with has been harmed, only people you were particularly close to. This is the first time I've even spoken to you, and as long as we can keep this a secret, I'll be fine!" Once again, it was Aishi-san's words that helped him to keep his cool. He could certainly keep quiet about her and her investigations... but that wasn't all he could do. Taro drew another deep, shaky breath, and pushed himself upright to look her straight in the eye.

"You're right. And yes, I definitely won't tell anyone about this. But please, Aishi-san... let me help you, in any way I can. I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me," he said, feeling certain about something for the first time in their conversation. He _needed_ to help her in this; if it hadn't been for him, none of this would have been necessary. " _Please_ ," he added, his heart sinking as she frowned hesitantly.

"Are you sure?" she asked simply. "It might get personal for you."

He shook his head, his jaw clenching. "It's already personal for me, Aishi-san. I'm grateful that you've been working so hard already, on behalf of others, but it would make me feel much better if I knew you weren't doing this alone," he said.

A wry smile blossomed across her face. "Yamada-senpai, my motives aren't exactly altruistic, you know. I'm as scared as anyone else in this school right now, and I'm trying to put a stop to these crimes for my own safety as much as anyone else's. But if you're offering it, then I'll accept your help," she said, straightening up to give him a polite bow.

He answered her bow with one of his own, his mood already lifting at the thought of being able to actively help protect his friends. "Thank you, Aishi-san. I'm just glad you're doing this, no matter what your reasons are! If there's anything I can do that you need, just tell me," he said, and he even felt light enough to offer her a small smile.

"Well," she said, and her smile turned teasing again, the way it had been back in the courtyard, "what I need now is for us to not be seen leaving this closet together, just in case there's anyone watching us. You should leave first, and I'll wait a while before I come out."

* * *

And so, it was with a fire of determination lit in his heart, that Taro Yamada stepped cautiously out of a utility closet in Akademi High, after exchanging contact numbers with Ayano Aishi, to collect his things and make his way home. Whoever was trying to hurt his friends would be brought to justice, he solemnly promised himself, as the main gates of the school faded into the distance behind him.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'm a lazy, tired jerk, so don't expect updates anytime soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No, I am not Yandere Dev, just another one of his many fans. And therefore, I don't own Yandere Simulator, or whatever it ends up being titled in the future.**

 **Author's Notes:** **I guess people like this story, so here's more! The bad news is, this fanfic isn't the main focus of my work, really just something I pound out to de-stress. The good news is, I put way less effort into writing this, so you may get more chapters sooner rather than later anyway.  
**

 **It sure would be helpful to know just which class or year the various student rivals are in. With the exception of Oka, who's in class 3-2, and Hanako, who should be in her freshman year, I can't be certain if all the student rivals are seniors. But, screw it, I'll just pretend they all are and if I got it wrong, I got it wrong.**

 **Also, this should be immediately evident, but Taro's opinions and ideas of the characters =/= my opinions and ideas of them.  
**

 **First uploaded: 2017/06/16  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

 _Week 4 - 2018, April 27th, Friday_

* * *

In the days immediately after his meeting with Aishi-san, Taro almost wished that she'd never spoken to him. Everywhere he went, while at school, he felt the very walls watching him. His appetite was nonexistent at lunchtime, he barely managed to pay the slightest hint of attention in class, and even his precious books were no longer a safe refuge for him. He had never been a very social person, but now that everyone seemed like a suspect, Taro found himself actively avoiding even the minor small-talk that his classmates tried to engage him in.

Nonetheless, he would stand firm in his vow. If isolating himself for the time being would help ensure that his schoolmates stayed safe, then it was a small price to pay. So when Oka Ruto had approached him on Wednesday morning, shyly asking him to visit her club room after school, he had politely refused her, ignoring the kicked-puppy expression she had worn. It was better for her to be disappointed, than dead, especially considering Aishi-san's warning, delivered via text message, that Oka-san had been the only student to speak with him regularly, that week.

On Friday, Taro's phone alarm woke him up at 6 A.M, as usual, but for the first time that he could remember, he couldn't find the will to get out of bed and start his usual preparations for school that morning, or even to simply slip back into his preferred snooze. Instead, he rolled onto his back and stared blankly at the plain white ceiling of his room, trying not to let the memories of the past few weeks overwhelm him.

It had been exactly three weeks ago now, when Osana had been discovered by a patrolling teacher, beaten almost to death. The last anyone had ever seen of Amai-chan, had been the Thursday of two weeks ago, and _Kizana-sama_ , as she'd playfully insisted Taro address her, had _died_ last Friday. Having had the pattern confirmed for him, the end of the school week was quickly becoming something to regard with dread, rather than anticipation. For a moment, he seriously considered the idea of staying home and faking an illness; whatever the consequences of that were, it would surely be more bearable than seeing someone else come to harm because of him.

Taro was jolted out of his contemplation by the buzzing of his phone, and he grabbed at it, desperate for someone, _anyone_ , to talk to, even if only through texts. The number was Aishi-san's, and the message simply read: ' _Good morning. Are you awake?'_ Almost immediately afterwards, it was followed by another, mirroring his thoughts: ' _Sorry, that was a dumb question. If you reply, you're obviously awake._ ' It managed to draw a weak chuckle from him, and he was surprised to feel the painful knot in his chest ease a little. It barely took him a moment to make his decision, and thankfully, Aishi-san picked up on the second ring.

" _Hello?_ " she said, her voice clear and firm despite the early hour. Somehow, he could easily picture her as fully awake and dressed right then. It was an interesting contrast to both himself and Hanako; they loved their lie-ins. He felt his lips twitch into a small smile, recalling Osana's complaints about how their sleeping habits messed with their schedules.

"Hi, Aishi-san. It's me, Taro. You messaged me?" he said, and suddenly felt foolish for responding to a text message with a phone call. Aishi-san wasn't Osana, and while Osana would've chewed him out for disturbing her at such an early hour, he was secure in the knowledge that she would've forgiven him, like she always did. On the other hand, he barely knew Aishi-san, after all, and it was hardly polite to call someone up this early.

" _Oh, Yamada-senpai. Yes, I did. I didn't expect you to call back, though..._ " she said, and it only compounded Taro's embarrassment, but she continued before he had too much time to think about it further, " _I just wanted to ask if you're feeling well today. You didn't look too good yesterday._ " This time, he smothered his laugh, because it would've been entirely too bitter for her to hear. He'd caused Aishi-san and so many other people, nothing but trouble and suffering, and yet, here she was, expressing concern for him?

"I-I'll be fine," he said, barely swallowing his sigh. "What about you? Did you want to tell me something?"

A rustle sounded over the line as she spoke, " _I'm all right, Yamada-senpai, thanks for asking. Yes, I have some good news for you."_

"Oh?" he said, feeling a mild prickle of curiosity, though he doubted that her news could help him, whatever it was. It wouldn't bring his friends back, after all.

" _As far as I know, there's been no one who's shown signs of getting too close to you in any way, this week. So if my hypothesis is correct, everyone should be safe for now!_ " she said, and he could almost hear her excited smile. Well, it was nice to know that his efforts in isolating himself, had seemingly paid off, _if_ Aishi-san's theory was true. But that did leave one question...

"That's great, but how can you be sure no one's been getting close to me?" he asked. He hadn't so much as _seen_ Aishi-san around the school, since Tuesday, much less spoken to her in person, so she couldn't have been able to see him either, could she?

A few moments ticked by in an awkward silence, before she finally broke it. "... _I have a reliable source,_ " she said, her excitement gone, and replaced with trepidation.

' _And I can't reveal them._ ' The unspoken statement hung in the air between them, as Taro let out a long, silent breath.

"Okay," he said. What else was there to say? Press the point and run the risk of scaring Aishi-san away? Not only was she the only person in the school who understood what was happening to him, she was trying to help him. She owed him absolutely nothing, and certainly not being pressured into revealing something she didn't want to.

" _I'm sorry_ ," she said, after another pregnant pause. " _I just can't-_ "

"It's fine," he said, cutting off her apologetic explanation, "you don't have anything to be sorry for. I get it." Everyone in school was either a potential victim or culprit, and possibly even more so if they had information on these incidents. If Aishi-san was deliberately hiding her source, they were most likely high on the 'potential victim' list.

" _O-okay, thanks,_ " she said, still subdued. How wonderful, now he just felt like a total jerk. " _Since it's Friday, do you want to meet up in person, after school? It'd probably be easier to discuss what we've found out, than on the phone._ "

"Sure. What time?" he said dully, staring back at his ceiling.

" _About... four-thirty? After the memorial." That_ got him to blink.

"Memorial?" he repeated, frowning at the feeling that he had forgotten something important.

" _Yes, the memorial service the school is holding, for Sunobu-senpai. It'll be in the gym. You... didn't hear about it?_ " Aishi-san said, her tone puzzled, but her last few words were almost drowned out by Taro's internal, sickening realisation that he had _forgotten_ about the _memorial_ being held, for someone who had died, _because of him_. He barely managed to choke down the horrified gasp that threatened to escape him. No, Aishi-san had enough to deal with, from him, she didn't have to add ' _Comfort Taro over the phone_ ' to her to-do list.

"No, no, I did," he managed to say. "Sorry, I'm probably not as awake as I thought I was. Four-thirty's fine, I'll-I'll be there. In your utility closet?"

" _Yes, that's fine, just try not to be seen,_ " Aishi-san said, and thankfully, she didn't seem to notice anything amiss over the line. " _I'll see you then, bye._ "

"Bye," he said in turn, and then the line went dead, and he was alone again, with his head full of thoughts. And while usually, he would've enjoyed another hour or so of snoozing, before bolting out of bed to shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast on the way to school in record time, for once, Taro Yamada simply got out of bed to get ready for school at a normal pace.

* * *

It was funny how time could flow. At the start of, and during, the school day, the hours of classes ahead of him seemed to be endless, but once 3:30 P.M. came and it was time for the student body of Akademi High to gather in the gym, Taro felt as though the time had passed in the blink of an eye.

Even as various students, one after another, went onstage to deliver their heartfelt eulogies for Kizana-sama, Taro couldn't bring himself to look directly at them, his gaze glued to the larger-than-life photo of his deceased friend, that had been set up as the backdrop for the stage. It was surrounded by bouquets of red roses - her favourite flower, he recalled. Larger-than-life... that had been Kizana Sunobu, all right. Perhaps she'd been a little overbearing at times, but she'd always meant well, helping to distract him from Amai's disappearance, and even encouraging him to strike out and be more confident in himself. At least, that was what he'd assumed from her attempts to get him to join the Drama Club. And now, with her death, all her efforts had been for nothing.

"I'll never forget some of the first few words that Kizana-sama graced me with," said the vice-president of the Drama Club, her eyes already red with unshed tears. She was the final student to speak in the memorial. Taro was almost ashamed of himself, for being relieved that he had not been asked to deliver a speech as well. Kizana-sama's memory deserved nothing less, but he doubted he would have been able to survive the experience of public speaking, something she had naturally excelled at. "After I finished reciting the last line of my audition, she looked me straight in the eye, and said, in all her magnificent poise and beauty, ' _I only accept the very best on my stage, darling, and you barely qualify to be one of my background singers! Don't you dare show your face around here ever again, unless you manage to improve that laughable mimicry you call acting._ ' In everything she did, Kizana-sama strove for one thing and one thing only: to be the best."

At this point, the girl began to visibly tremble, fighting back her sobs. Somehow, she still looked attractive while crying in public. "She-she accepted nothing less than perfection, both from herself and from those around her, and I'll never forget the example she set for us. But sadly, with her passing, I'm afraid that there is now no one fit to lead the Drama Club of Akademi High, and so, it is with a heavy heart that I must bid goodbye to Kizana-sama, and announce the disbanding of the Drama Club today."

It was on that sombre note that Kizana Sunobu's memorial ended, and the student body was dismissed for the day. As an additional mark of respect, all club activities had been suspended that afternoon, and so Taro found himself surrounded by softly chattering students, all making their way to their lockers to gather their things for the trip home. Normally, their voices would have been loud and eager, but today, the students spoke in hushed whispers, filling the hallways like a light breeze. Brushing off the few people who tried to draw him into a conversation, Taro ducked into the deserted men's room closest to Aishi-san's closet-office, waiting and listening for the sounds of human presence to fade away. Even after the last few footsteps and voices were gone, he spent a tense few minutes, straining his ears for any sign that someone was in the hallway, watching the area.

When the time passed with no new sounds reaching him, Taro straightened himself up, finally daring to breathe normally, and poked his head into the hallway, looking around. Seeing no one, he made his way to the utility closet in as casual a manner as he could manage. Aishi-san was already inside, and opened the door for him when he knocked softly on it, ushering him in quickly.

"No one saw you?" she asked immediately, once the door was firmly shut behind him. He shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said, and she relaxed, taking his word for it.

"Good, then," she said, turning back to her corkboard of notes without preamble. Taro couldn't tell if she'd made any changes to it, since the last time he'd been in here, but looking at the pictures still made his stomach lurch, even as she continued speaking, "Have you noticed anyone acting suspicious around you this week, Yamada-senpai?"

He could've appreciated that she wasn't wasting time with her investigation, had he not been busy with staring at the photos on the board. There was a candid shot of Amai, taken from the doorway of the Cooking Club, in which she was standing at the counter, mixing up what looked to be a bowl of batter. Even in a still frame, her gentle, content smile shone through. Her love of cooking had been so evident in everything she'd said and done...

"Yamada-senpai?" Aishi-san's hesitant call shook him out of his thoughts, and he glanced at her reflexively, instantly cringing at the sympathetic frown she wore.

"I'm sorry, this must be difficult for you, I'll get rid of them-" she said next, already reaching towards the board, but she was cut off by his hand closing around her thin wrist, halting her motion and making her gasp.

"No! No, i-it's fine, this is what we're here for! We need these notes," he said hurriedly. Following her gaze to where their hands were joined, he let go as if her skin had scalded him. Almost unconsciously, they both drew their hands close to their chests. Taro couldn't tell what she was thinking, behind the surprise, but with a mental slap, he forced his hands back down to lie loose at his sides. He had no business, manhandling Aishi-san like that, and he couldn't allow it to happen again.

"... Sorry about that," he said, into the silence that settled over them. "I overreacted. It's fine, you put up these notes, you get to keep them up. It's only fair!" His voice rose slightly into forced cheer, but it seemed to have the desired effect, when she nodded slowly.

"Right... okay," she said, and Taro fought the urge to cringe when she oh-so-casually took a step backwards, away from him. "So, do you have anything new to add, Yamada-senpai?" Her voice was as steady as ever, but he had to replay her question twice in his head before it finally registered. When it did, he was pulled even further into his thoughts, turning over everything he could recall, for anything out of the ordinary.

"No... I don't think so," he finally said, through grit teeth. He wondered how much more embarrassment he would have to take. "I haven't really talked to anyone except you, and I didn't see anyone watching or following me." The key word there was _see_ , he had certainly _felt_ watched the whole time, but they weren't here to discuss his feelings.

Aishi-san hummed in thought at his answer. "That seems to fit with what I've been able to observe, myself. Nobody's been acting suspiciously, given the circumstances. And no one's gone missing or been hurt this week... so the perpetrator may be lying low for now," she said, gradually falling back into a businesslike stance, her arms folded against her chest.

"For now," he echoed, catching her gaze as she nodded again. "They might strike again."

"Yes, if not this week, then perhaps next week," she said, now with a more determined frown. "I don't- I _can't_ let that happen, so I'm going to catch them before that can happen." Taro could only marvel silently at her resolve. There was no hint of the fear that had plagued him and the rest of the school for the past few weeks, in her, only a quiet sort of anger and drive. While he'd been busy wallowing in his own self-pity and paranoia, Aishi-san had been _working_ to stop a murderer. He needed to step up if he was going to be of any use to her.

"So what do we do?" he asked. "If they're not doing anything that could point them out, what can we do to make them do something?" Aishi-san raised an eyebrow.

"We could always try and... bait them," she said, but even before he had the chance to speak, she huffed a laugh, shaking her head. "I know, it's a terrible idea, I'm sorry. No one else needs to get hurt if we can help it."

"Definitely not," he said, joining in with a weak chuckle of his own. It was a good way to relieve the tension in the air, however short-lived it was, but then it ended with a resigned sigh from Aishi-san.

"If we can't draw them out, then we need to find a way to track them down," she said, chewing on her lip. "The problem with that, is that they were extremely careful, enough not to leave much, if any, evidence at the scenes of the crimes. I've been over both of them - it's where I took the photos," she waved at the board, "and I couldn't find anything." She fell silent again, her internal debate written across her face, before she finally raised her head to address him.

"Yamada-senpai, I think what we need now is a witness. More specifically, the only person who has survived an attack from the person or people behind this. You're her closest friend, so, if it's at all possible... do you think we could meet Najimi-senpai and ask her if she can recall anything?"

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 **Thanks for reading! Will I finish this before Yandere Dev finishes the game? Who knows! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: No, I am not Yandere Dev, just another one of his many fans. And therefore, I don't own Yandere Simulator, or whatever it ends up being titled in the future.**

 **Author's Notes: I'm afraid that for this story, I may be falling into a few bad habits I usually try to avoid, like meaningless author's notes in every chapter, and, uh, writing cliffhangers that will be completely invalidated by the next chapter, and maybe some weird, repetitive sentences that I miss while editing because I'm lazy. In fact, I'm somewhat worried that certain plot points or scenes may wind up feeling repetitive to people... but then again, I'm just having fun with this. I already have the ending and major plot details for this story planned out, it's just a matter of actually writing it now.  
**

 **Thanks to everyone who left me your encouraging messages! If it weren't for you, updates would probably be as slow as my other story. Which means about 9+ months in between updates. Nobody wants that, I'm sure.**

 **First uploaded: 2017/08/27  
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 **Chapter 3**

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 _Week 4 - 2018, April 29th, Sunday_

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Osana's ward was exactly as Taro remembered: clean, bright, and neat. The Najimis had spared no expense in ensuring the finest available care for their recovering daughter, and so she had an entire room in the Saikou Medical Centre of Buraza Town, en-suite bathroom and private 24-hour attendants included, all to herself. In a part of himself that he often refused to acknowledge, Taro found it all quite unnecessary.

Directly opposite from the door into the ward, was a large window that looked out to the west, over the hospital's extensive gardens. The setting sun's rays filtered through the thin white curtains drawn over the window, lighting up Osana's bed as he entered the room and approached her. The nurse in charge of tending to his best friend, smiled at him as she left the room to fulfill his request for privacy. For a moment, Taro simply stared down at Osana, his jaw clenched.

' _I wish I could say yes, but we can't._ '

Her injuries seemed to be healing well, though he was no doctor. The horrific mass of bruises which had covered her face, the last time he had seen her, had now mostly faded away.

' _I see. If I may ask, is there any particular reason why?_ '

But then again, Osana's bruises were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to her condition, as evidenced by the upper-body cast she still wore after all this time.

' _She... hasn't woken up yet._ '

Perhaps it was a good thing that Osana wasn't conscious for her recovery; Taro knew just how much she would've hated being trapped like that, day in and day out, for weeks on end. The hospital staff probably preferred looking after a comatose patient who couldn't make demands, too - Osana was a great friend and person, but staying in one room for so long would've driven anyone insane.

Finally, the silence grew too much to bear, and Taro broke it with an explosive sigh.

"Hey, Osana," he began, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve the prickles of guilt creeping up his spine. "Sorry I haven't been visiting as much as I should, it's just... school, you know? We've... we've been pretty busy, and all." Osana's doctors and nurses had assured him, on multiple occasions, that she could hear him, even in her coma. Her parents certainly believed it, if the numerous occasions Taro had walked into this room to see them speaking to Osana, were any indication. Taro didn't doubt their belief, though, and in any case, it wasn't the reason why he hadn't made the trip down to the hospital as much as he knew his friends and family expected him to.

Truthfully, he was only here today at Hanako's request, if one could define dumping a massive, colourful bouquet of flowers into his arms, with a shrill, insistent cry of ' _Nii-chan, you've gotta give this to_ _Osana-neesan!_ ' as such. It was that same bouquet that brought Taro back to reality, as the delicate crepe-paper wrapping crinkled under his tightening grip. Tearing his gaze from Osana, Taro moved to her bedside table, where a large vase sat, ready to receive such offerings. Carefully unwrapping the bouquet, he slid the bundle of stalks into the neck of the vase, adjusting it to make sure the flowers sat for the best possible presentation.

"Hanako's been worried sick about you, but she was too busy to come today, so she gave me these flowers for you!" he said as he worked, injecting cheer into his tone. "Don't tell her, but it definitely looks like she put them together herself." Ikebana was far from Taro's area of interest, but even to his untrained eye, the bouquet arrangement was anything but professional. Rather than the subtle, gentle pastels he usually thought of when calling traditional flower arrangements to mind, Hanako's bouquet was a blaze of primary colours: large, bright yellows and reds surrounding a topping of orange the exact shade of Osana's hair. Taro narrowed his eyes, trying to recall the exact names for the flowers used in the bouquet, but gave it up as a lost cause with a sigh. The only flowers he could ever reliably identify off the top of his head were roses and cherry blossoms, anyway...

' _HEY! Get your head out of the clouds and listen to me, dummy!_ '

Taro jumped, reflexively snapping his attention back to Osana. "Sorry, I-" The words died on his lips as the reality of the situation, the sight of his best friend lying silent and unconscious, crashed back into him. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, looking away from her again. _This_ was exactly what he'd been struggling to avoid, after all. Osana being quiet and unresponsive... it was all so simply _unnatural_. She wasn't meant to be this way, she should never have been in this hospital as a critical-care or long-term inpatient. Osana Najimi was bright and warm, like a campfire, and she had always been so, for all the years Taro had known her. Losing the warmth that had been present for almost his entire life, would've been unbearable, had it not been for Amai and Kizana.

The thought of his missing and dead friends had Taro's jaw tightening with yet more guilt. No, he silently acknowledged, Amai and Kizana hadn't really been helping him through Osana's absence, they had simply served as convenient distractions from his... loneliness. He owed them that much, to at least realise how much he had been _using_ them, and to make sure that he never treated anyone else the same, or take them for granted, ever again. With that in mind, he drew in a deep breath, and turned back to face Osana.

"After you were... attacked, I started talking to some other students. Amai Odayaka, and Kizana Sunobu. You know, the presidents of the Cooking and Drama Clubs. They were really nice, and all. Well, Amai came back to school first. And you know, I always thought you had to be good at cooking to be president of the Cooking Club, but Amai, her baking was- _is_ , is just... out of this world. Totally amazing," he said. The words were slow and hesitant at first, but somehow, it got easier as he went along. "But then she went missing. And Kizana-sama, she's... dead." How easy it was to kill his momentum. Couldn't he at least make it through a proper conversation without breaking down? He wasn't the one in a coma, or missing, or dead, even!

Still, he had to force the next few words out. "Then I met- well, it's more like she approached me, but there was this junior member of the Photography Club, Ayano Aishi. Turns out the Photography Club's investigating these... incidents, and Aishi-san's been running her own private investigation. She realised that all of the victims so far have been connected to me in some way, so she wanted to ask me about anything I knew. And even after she knew I didn't know anything, she still agreed to let me start working with her." Talking about Aishi-san helped; it was a good reminder that he was still somewhat capable of doing _something._ Almost unconsciously, Taro felt his hands curling into fists.

"I promise, Osana," he said, with all the conviction he could draw upon, "I'll find out who did this to you, to Amai, to Kizana. I'll make them pay, and I'll make sure they never hurt anyone ever again!"

His declaration was met with the same silence that had greeted all of his visits to this room, so far, but somehow, someway, having his vow said out loud, seemed to loosen the ever-present knot in his chest.

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Taro didn't linger too long in Osana's ward after that, merely filling her in on the basic happenings of the school that had gone on in her absence. The sun had just sunk out of view when his phone buzzed with a text from Hanako, telling him to get home soon for dinner. It had jolted him out of his recollections, and without further ado, he had bid Osana goodnight. He was on his way out of the hospital's foyer when he was unexpectedly hailed.

"Taro-kun!" He paused, turning to scan the vicinity, and his gaze landed on a tanned blonde who seemed vaguely familiar, making her way towards him. A student of Akademi, certainly, and she might have been in his year...

"Rito-san?" he said, the pieces clicking together even as he spoke. Asu Rito, the president of the Sports Club of Akademi High, and _definitely_ in his year. "I haven't seen you since school started. It's good to see you."

She laughed, a cheerful, confident sound that he hadn't heard from anyone at school in a while. "C'mon, Taro-kun, we've known each other since we were freshmen, you can call me Asu!" she said, her smile bright and easy as she drew level with him.

"Asu-san, then," he agreed, and she rolled her eyes, but let it go. "So why haven't you been at school? I thought you'd transferred out or something."

"No way!" she exclaimed, sounding offended at the suggestion. "I wouldn't leave Akademi High for the world! Well, except for a competition," she flashed a wry grin at him, "but anyway, I couldn't make it to school 'cause I broke my leg just before it started. I've been in physical rehab this whole time."

"Oh," Taro said, glancing down at her legs. She had no cast or even a crutch with her, so... "But you're all right now?"

"Yup, just got done having my cast removed, and the doctor's given me the all-clear," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet for good measure. "Can't wait to get back to the gym and catch up on all the training I've missed. Physical rehab just isn't the same, you know?"

The reminder of just _what_ Asu-san had missed, had Taro sobering as he hummed in non-committal agreement. "Yeah, you've... you've sure missed a lot, Asu-san."

And just like that, her exuberance dimmed. "I heard about what happened," she said, dropping her arms to rest limply at her sides. "I can't believe something like that could happen to one of us. I didn't know Odayaka-san or Sunobu-san all that well, but still..."

It was all Taro could do then, to release his jaw long enough to utter a single, simple, "Yeah." After all, what else was there to say?

"Did you... know them?" Asu-san said, peering up at him and blinking curiously. Suddenly, he couldn't meet her eyes, instead turning to look out the hospital's front doors, at the immaculately-maintained gardens on each side.

"Yes." His response was once again, too blunt and clipped for polite company, but Taro couldn't bring himself to truly care about that, right now.

She rocked back on her feet. "Ah, I see. Well... I'm sorry for bringing that up," she said, and although her expression held only sympathy, it suddenly felt too much for him. He shook his head with a long exhale.

"It's not your fault," he said, forcing himself to look directly at her again. "It's been nice talking to you, Asu-san, but I need to get going now. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

The smile she directed at him was somewhat strained, but still genuine nonetheless. "Sure thing, Taro-kun. See you tomorrow."

And with that, Taro stepped out through the elegant glass doors of the Buraza Saikou Medical Centre, to begin his journey home.

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 **Thanks for reading! Feel free to threaten me via PM, I relish the terror and I'm down with a fever! Halloween is only two months away! Maybe I'll update again before then! Maybe this friggin' flu will kill me! PLACE YOUR BETS!**


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